In The Wake of the Waves
by 7kindsofominous
Summary: Nobody knows who Kairi is, or where she came from, least of all Kairi herself. Knowing little about herself beyond her name, Kairi does her best to make a new life on Destiny Islands. But just because she's forgotten the past, doesn't mean that the past has forgotten her.
1. Chapter One

Chapter One

I winced as my bare toes met the hot, sun baked sand. I was tired, and hungry and covered in blisters and bruises. I had spent the past couple of weeks living on my feet, but this place (wherever _this_ place was) was beautiful, and I was hopeful that I'd be able to rest here, at least for a while. Unsure of what to do, or where to begin I made a beeline for the shade of a tall, gently swaying palm tree and sat down, closing my eyes. It was a warm day, but there was a pleasant breeze, and it was an indescribable relief just to be able to sit down and allow my sore muscles to unknot themselves. I was dozing before I knew it, and it took some effort to shake myself awake. I was warm, comfortable, and very _very_ tired, but now was not the time. I got to my feet and dusted off my knees. I was in a dirty gray sundress that might have been a light pink once, it was far too big for me, and I couldn't remember where I had gotten it.

My memory up to this point was fuzzy, to say the least coming and going in brief flashes, kaleidoscope images, I lived in a state of perma-dizziness, but I knew three things for certain.

1\. My name is Kairi

2\. I was alone

3\. I was running from something.

What, or who that thing was, was a total blank to me, which was going to make things difficult. it was hard to fight or flee from shadows, and potential danger was everywhere, paranoia would eventually kill me. I decided to pick a random direction, and just start walking. Every footstep felt like I was walking on knives, but it kept my anxious mind occupied. Ahead of me the city rose up like a castle, beautiful and shining, so bright in the sunlight that it made my eyes hurt.

I kept walking.

The city proper wasn't as big as it had looked from the beach,and in the pale morning light it seemed quiet, and comfortable. I kept looking around corners and in every alleyway, half expecting to find whatever was after me snarling in the darkness, or watching me with glowing yellow eyes.

Nothing was there, I was safe, for now at least. I kept walking, aimless, my mouth was dry and felt like it was packed with chalk, I needed a drink of water. I looked around for a water fountain, or maybe even a store. This place was so unfamiliar and confusing that I was beginning to get nauseous.

"Excuse me, Miss?" I looked up and saw a pretty young woman, only a little bit older than me, looking very concerned, "are you alright? Do you need me to call someone?"

"Call someone?" I blinked at her, not quite registering what she was asking me. The woman frowned, looking a bit conflicted.

"Are you alone? Is there anyone here with you?" She asked, scanning the street. I shook my head, I had always been alone. "What's your name?"

" I'm Kairi, " I smiled at her, she had asked me a question that I actually had the answer to, and it was good to talk to someone.

"Hi Kairi," she said carefully, " I'm Aqua, are you safe? "

I must have looked like a real mess, she was looking at me like I might have escaped from the circus, or a mental hospital.

"Yes, I think so. What is this place?"

"Destiny Islands," she was carrying a large shopping bag in each arm, but didn't seem hindered by them at all. "Where are you from?"

"I can't answer that," I said quietly, "because I can't remember."

"Did you hit your head?"

"I might have..." I probed my head with my fingers and felt no pain," but probably not. "

"Do you want me to take you to a shelter?"

" I'd appreciate that, thank you, " I gave her a little bow and she smiled at me. "Alright, my apartment isn't too far from here, if it's alright with you, I'd like to drop these off first, they're awfully heavy."

"I can help you carry them," I held out my arms, "I can't run, I have too many blisters, and I don't have any shoes." Aqua laughed and handed me one of the bags.

"You don't look like a thief to me."

The groceries were really heavy, and what's more, the smell of the fresh produce had reminded me of how hungry I was. My stomach growled loudly the whole way there, much to my embarrassment. I tried to ignore it, but Aqua wouldn't let me.

"When's the last time you've eaten?" She asked as we came to her apartment. I tried to think, balancing the shopping bag on my hip.

"Yesterday afternoon."

Aqua sighed and unlocked the door. "Come on in, I'll make you a sandwich or something."

That's how I wound up staying at Aqua's house. She had a lovely one bedroom flat, very tidy and well kept. I learned that she worked as a News Anchor in the city, and that she loved her job.

"Right now, I'm just the weather woman," she said with a little laugh, as we sat having tea on the sofa, " but I really want to make it to prime time someday. "

"I'm sure you will, Aqua," I sipped my tea and sucked in a quick breath, it was still too hot, "whatever 'prime time' is. "

"Have you ever worked Kairi?"

" I'm not sure, " I nervously grabbed the hem of my dress, "I..."

"Can't remember. You know, at first I thought you were trying to run some sort of con, but I'm starting to think there's something really wrong." Aqua frowned, and lapsed into silence, deep in thought.

"I want to work," I said, worried that she'd get upset with me. "I know I could work."

"Oh! I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry, I'm just nosey by nature." She gave me an apologetic look.

"No, That's alright, I really want to work," I looked around the apartment , fighting the urge to pace. "Could you help me?"

"I guess we can look through the paper," Aqua said, bemused.

Aqua spread the newspaper out on the coffee table in front of us. "This is the employment section, It's going to be difficult for you to find a job with no work history."

"I'll never know until I try, right?"

"That's a good attitude to have. Here," she handed me a pen, "circle the jobs that interest you, and I'll be right back." I nodded, absently, trying to decipher the symbols on the paper, when Aqua had returned, I had circled every section on the newspaper. "Um..." Aqua peered over my shoulder, "I'll help you narrow it down a bit."

After a several minutes, Aqua had crossed out nearly everything I had circled, only about four remained.

"I think we should start by looking at temp work, the best thing for you to do right now is get some job history under your belt." Aqua said, I nodded, pretending to understand. Aqua spoke to me me a long time about various things that didn't make sense. I liked to listen to her talk, she seemed very mature and composed, I decided that I wanted to be like that some day.

Around midday I was dead on my feet, I was trying to focus on what Aqua was telling me about bussing tables, but I kept drifting and jerking back awake. I must have passed out entirely at some point, because when I woke up it was dark outside, and I was lying on the couch wrapped in a blanket.

Tears stung my eyes, but I wasn't homesick, it was the first time (in my admittedly short memory span) that anyone had ever treated me so kindly.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

"You mean these are for me?" I goggled at the clothes Aqua had laid out on the bed, "for real?"

"Well, if they fit you," Aqua was still rummaging through her closet as she spoke, throwing clothes and hangers this way and that. "I can wash that for you," she pointed to what I was wearing, " but honestly, I think we ought to just throw it away, " I looked down at my gray-pink dress, it was fraying around the hem and at the neckline, and there was a rip in the side, many of the miscellaneous stains on the fabric would not wash out, I nodded, it would be no big loss.

"I like this one," I reached out and touched a black and pink checkered skirt.

"I'm glad you like it, but you need to shower before you try anything on," she handed me a towel and directed me to the bathroom, "Hand the dress out once you're undressed and I'll put your new clothes by the door."

XxX

It was wonderful to be able to clean off after weeks of being dirty. The cold water felt like heaven on my burned and scraped skin. I never wanted to the leave.

I closed my eyes and let the water stream over my face and shoulders.

"Kairi!" Someone was screaming in my head, calling for me, someone I couldn't remember, Someone far, far away. I ducked out of the water and gasped, wiping my eyes.

"What was that?" I whispered to myself. I shut off the water, and stepped out.

XxX

"How do they fit?" Aqua asked as I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked clean and new, and pretty in my new clothes. After a while, I realized I was crying.

"You don't like them? Aqua asked.

"I love them," I frantically wiped away my tears, "thank you, thank you so much." Aqua reached out and gave me an affectionate pat on the head. Another memory flashed through my mind of a similar experience, but it was gone as soon as it came, and even though I clutched at the threads of the memory, it didn't return.

"Are you ready to go?" Aqua asked.

"Yes," I tried to calm the nervous fluttering in my chest, "I'm ready."

XxX

I laid my head down on the round, plastic table, feeling humiliated. I had been rejected from every place I interviewed for. No one wanted to hire me with no job history and no proof of identification.

"Cheer up," Aqua said kindly, " there's always tomorrow. "

"There's always tomorrow," I agreed, but I was still miserable. Aqua had taken me to a local ice cream shop to cheer me up. I had never had ice cream before, but she seemed excited, so I tried to be too. Aqua had ordered some sort of hard to pronounce desert, and I had ordered the same. I had no choice since I couldn't even read the menu.

"Here we are," said the waiter, he was a boy, my age or perhaps just a bit older, the first thing I noticed about him were his deep ocean blue eyes. He grinned when he caught me looking at him, "it's good, I promise."

I looked at the ice cream, it was a mass of fruit and whipped cream arranged like flowers, it was very pretty.

"Thank you, Sora," said Aqua in between bites.

"Welcome," he said, crossing his arms behind his head. "Cid is out for the day, I made these ones myself. And you couldn't even tell the difference, could you?"

"No, you've vastly improved," Aqua smiled indulgently at him. "The parfaits are perfect."

"Parfaits?" I repeated, trying to get used to the word.

"Oh yeah!" The boy turned to me, "I don't know you, do I?"

"I don't think so..."

"Sora?" Aqua interrupted, "You don't happen to know someone looking to hire on a new employee, do you?"

"Why?" He asked, "you weren't fired, were you?"

"No, of course not," Aqua waved her hand dismissively, "Kairi here needs a job."

"Kairi?" He blinked at me, "I swear I've heard that name before."

"Maybe," I gave him a weak smile, "I can't remember."

"Stay focused Sora, do you?"

"Ummm..." He frowned in thought, though it looked more like a pout on his boyish face, "no, I don't think so." I dropped my gaze to my partially melted parfait, I'd let myself get hopeful there for a second there.

"Hey, don't look so disappointed," the boy, Sora was still thinking, "okay, Kairi right? Come with me." He turned on his heel and marched to the back of the shop, I cast a worried glance at Aqua, who waved me on, and followed him.

XxX

"This is the freezer," he said, motioning to the rows of shelves packed with various tubs and boxes. "These big tubs of ice cream are actually pretty heavy," he lifted one off of the shelf and put it gingerly on the floor, " if you can pick this up, carry it to the dipping cabinet...er...the ice cream display thingy, and scoop out three ice cream cones I'll hire you on. "

"Really?" My nerves were back jittering like electricity , but now I was excited.

"Don't get too happy, you still have to lift it," he said, "lift with your legs, not your back."

I reached down, gripped the sides of the tub and heaved it up into my arms. He hadn't been kidding when he said it was heavy, my fingers immediately began to ache, and I knew that if I spent too much time dawdling it would slip from my hands. I ran it back to the ice cream display thingy as quick as I could, and set it on the counter. Sora came up behind me, slid the tub into a round metal slot, and handed me a scooper. "This is the hardest part," he said, " it takes muscle. "

I took the scooper from him, and jammed it into the smooth, marble white surface of the ice cream. It sunk in easily enough, like a shovel into damp earth, but when I tried to scoop it out it stuck fast. I used both hands in an attempt to pry it loose, but it wouldn't budge, not even an inch. The ice cream was good and frozen and it refused to cooperate. I took a step back, breathing heavy and wringing my sore, cold fingers.

"Are you giving up?" Sora asked.

"No," I said, I pressed both of my palms to the silver handle of the scooper and jumped, putting all of my strength into it. It sliced through the ice cream, slipped through my hands and clanged off the ceiling, sending chunks of ice cream raining down on Sora and I. I managed to duck to dodge the falling ice cream scoop, it missed my head by an inch. I looked up at Sora, he was standing there wide eyed with globs of ice cream stuck in his messy brown hair, and trickling down the sides of his face. I felt my face heat up with shame, tears prickling the corners of my eyes. Someone had finally taken me seriously and I had messed up at the first opportunity.

Sora was making a strange noise, and I looked down, afraid to meet his eyes, I thought he was crying, but the noise got louder and I realized he was laughing. I looked up again and saw him, red faced, tears trickling down his cheeks, he was doubled over, hands on his knees.

"Oh jeez," he said, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, "you're way stronger than you look." He extended a hand to me, and I took it, "well Kairi, congrats you're hired on," he pulled me up onto my feet and I gaped at him.

"Are you sure,"

"I said so didn't I?" He grabbed a napkin and began to wipe the ice cream out of his hair.

"Here, let me help, it's my fault." I looked around for the napkins and found them.

"You really don't have to," he said, as I began dabbing the ice cream drips off of his face and shirt sleeves, his cheeks were still very red from laughing so hard.

"It's my fault," I smiled, " I said so, didn't I?" Sora grinned back at me, and it lit up his whole face.

"You'll fit in just fine here, Kairi," he said. I stepped back and looked around for the scoop.

"I can try again," I said. Sora fished a clean one out of a drawer.

"That's ok, I can do it," he said, "sorry, but I don't want anymore ice cream in my hair today."

XxX

Sora and I came out of the kitchen with three ice cream cones, Aqua was right where we left her, happily consuming my parfait.

"It was going to melt," she said, primly wiping her enough, " I'll buy you a new one."

"No need," I said.

"These are on me," he handed Aqua an ice cream cone, "to new opportunities and bright horizons."


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"I'm telling you, it was salty,"

"No, it was sweet." Me and Aqua argued playfully on the way back to her apartment.

"You're entitled to your opinion," said Aqua, "even though it's wrong." I opened my mouth to retort, but I was distracted by something moving in my peripheral vision.

"Look Aqua!" I pointed to something small, brown, and fluffy darting across the road, "what is that?"

"It's a rabbit, how cute, the rabbits always come out at twilight," she said, "I wonder if they think the sunset is beautiful too."

I looked up, the sun was a burning orange smear against the steadily darkening sky. Aqua and I cast long purple shadows as we walked side by side down the pristine white sidewalk, overlooking the deep, shining expanse of the ocean. "The air is so clear here." I said, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. The smell of the salt, and sea air mingled with the heady scent of bright summer flowers lining the walk way, "I love it."

"You could stay here you know," said Aqua, " if you want to. " I gave her a small smile.

"I think...I'm supposed to find someone, or maybe someone is supposed to find me. It's just this feeling that I have," I pressed my hand to my chest, feeling the steady rhythm of my heart beat. "I feel like some day I might have to go."

"I understand that feeling." Aqua said, " not necessarily that I'll have to go, but I feel like I'm waiting for something too. Maybe we all feel like that sometimes. Maybe it's more of a draw for some than for others."

Aqua and I stood quietly for a while, watching the sun go down over the sea, dying the whole world red and purple, before it dipped below the surface and fizzled out, then we continued our walk home.

XxX

"Today turned out pretty well for you, huh?" Aqua hung up her jacket on the hooks by the door and I followed suit. I had been imitating Aqua for most of the day, so far she hadn't seemed to notice, "did Sora say when you start?"

"10:00 am, on monday, " I said, trying to stamp down the flutter of nerves that filled my stomach when I thought about my first day.

"We've got two days then, I'll have to take you clothes shopping."

"These won't work?" I gestured to my new outfit, a black blouse and the pink checkered skirt, the only problem I had with it was that it was a little loose around my chest.

"You can't just wear the same clothes again and again, do you want them to turn out like your old dress?" She asked, I shook my head no.

"But I don't have any munny, and you've given me so much already," I said, fidgeting.

"Oh this is on credit," Aqua grinned, "you'll be paying me back once you get into the swing of things at your new job."

"That will work."

XxX

"Are you nervous?"

It was 9:45, we stood side by side outside of the Ice cream shop, Aqua, who had seemingly realized that I couldn't read told me that it was called the Midnight Blue Creamery.

"Yes," I said, " very, very nervous. The last time I tried this I coated us both in sea salt ice cream."

"You're still worried about that?" We both jumped when we heard Sora's voice behind us, we had been so distracted we hadn't heard him roll up on his bike. "I told you it's fine, most of the ice cream we use is much softer, and I'll take care of the harder stuff. If you splatter me with more ice cream, I'll just have to forgive you again." He locked his bike up to the rack, it was this early in the morning but he already seemed so energetic, I envied that.

"Good morning," I said, staring at my new boots.

"Morning!" He unlocked the shop door and held it open for me, "let the games begin."

I waved goodbye to Aqua and followed him in, gripping the hem of my skirt nervously.

"Hey gramps!" Sora called towards the back of the shop, "I'm here."

"How many times have I told you not to call me gramps," a man made his way out of the back room, a tooth pick clamped firmly in his mouth. He was an older gentleman, but not as old as I had expected from Sora's greeting, he was still blond, and while his face was heavily lined he still looked hale and strong, his arms were huge, presumably from lifting ice cream tubs. He looked between Sora and I, seeming confused, "and who is this young lady?"

"This is Kairi," he jerked his head towards me, casually, "our new employee."

"You're hiring people on now?" The man who didn't like to be called Gramps narrowed his eyes at Sora.

"Nope, just Kairi, she's a special case," he went behind the counter and tied his apron around his waist, "come on, I've got one for you too." He handed me a pristine white apron that had been hanging up beside his, and once again, to my extreme shame, I felt tears stinging my eyes, I blinked hard, trying to make them stop. "Hey," Sora sounded uncomfortable, "what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, "I'm just surprised by how kind everyone here is," I sniffled, "I'm just happy I'm here." Gramps and Sora exchanged glances and Sora have me a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"We're glad you're here too, Kairi."

XxX

The Midnight Blue had a lot more business than I expected it to, according to Cid it was a pretty popular date spot for the young people in the area, but people of all ages came in at some point. It was a very lively day, we never had less than 5 customers, and sometimes we had as many as 22 which is a pretty big deal for a little creamery. Despite the crowds, the energy and the constant noise, I really loved this place. Cid and Sora were both kind, in their own way; Cid was quiet, solemn, and tended to come of as a bit crotchety, but every time I came back behind the counter to grab an order, I'd find a little dish of ice cream waiting for me. He had expressed his opinion earlier that morning that I was far too skinny, and people would think he underpaid his staff if I didn't get some meat on my bones.

And Sora was...unique, he was very energetic, but he wasn't obnoxious about it, (for the most part). I found myself watching the way he handled the customers. He greeted everyone like an old friend, but it didn't seem saccharine or forced coming from him, he gave the impression that he was legitimately happy to be at work, more than happy, he was at home, he was entirely secure in himself and comfortable in his surroundings. For someone like me, who never really felt in control of anything, it was almost awe inspiring.

"Kairi!" Cid called from behind the counter, "booth 4."

" Yessir, " I grabbed the proffered tray and turned to dash off to booth 4, hoping to mimic at least a portion of Sora's cheer.

"At last!" Said the man at the table as I set his milkshake in front of him, I gave him a polite little bow,

"I'm sorry for the wait," I said, " please enjoy." I turned to go, but he called me back, and then he just...looked at me, for a very long time. I fidgeted, switching from foot to foot.

He was a strange looking man, with a long, angular face, and a ponytail, the first thing I had noticed about him however, was the eye patch he wore over his left eye, and the long jagged scar on his right cheek. He looked like a shark to me, and right now he was eying me like a particularly juicy seal.

"Um..." I tried to think of something to say, anything to make him stop staring like that.

"Kairi," Sora came up behind me, making me jump, he put a hand on my shoulder to steady me, "sorry 'bout that, Cid wants you behind the register." He slid his gaze to the man with the eye patch, "I can take care of your customer for you."

"Alright," I smiled at him, relieved, "Thanks Sora." He nodded at me and I high tailed it to the counter.

"You wanted me?" I asked Cid, who was diligently sweeping sprinkles off of the tile floor.

"Hum?" He looked up from his task, frowning "did I?"

"Sora said so," I looked back to where Sora was still chatting with Mr. Eye patch. Cid frowned, the toothpick in his mouth bobbed up and down as he chewed it.

"Well," he said, " you can hold the dust pan for me.

XxX

Contrary to its name, The Midnight Blue closed at 9:00 pm, but employees didn't leave until 10:00 pm. I was very tired, and my feet felt like they were going to fall off, it would be good to go back to Aqua's apartment, take a shower and go to bed. Sora chattered cheerfully at Cid as he wiped down tables, I was on dish washing duty for the night, which I didn't particularly like, but it wasn't a death sentence.

"How'd your first day go?" Sora asked, taking the dishes I had stacked on the counter and drying them.

"It was fun, and busy, but now I'm kind of sore," I shifted on my aching feet.

"Yeah, that happens," he said, "maybe you need some better shoes." I looked down at the black, knee-high leather boots Aqua had purchased for me.

"But I like these ones..." I mumbled.

"It's not like you have to sell 'em," he said, "but flats might be easier on your feet."

"What are flats?" I asked, he gave me a confused look.

"Like my shoes," he pointed down to his awkwardly large feet, "sneakers or something."

"I will ask Aqua," I said, putting the last plate on the counter. "She loaned me these clothes." I spun around to show them off and Sora laughed.

"You're weird Kairi, working with you should be fun."


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

The weeks flew by while I was busy working at The Midnight Blue, and it was a blast. Business was booming, and the shop became more and more crowded as we got closer to summer, and sometimes Sora's friend, a guy named Riku had to come and help us bus tables. He was quick and efficient, and didn't complain, but he wasn't as friendly or as funny as Sora. He was very nice to me though, everyone was, almost. The people in Destiny Islands seemed to have had the surf and sunshine rub off on them, they were mostly calm, friendly, and laid back. There was the occasional hooligan that Cid had to deal with, usually teenagers trying to show off to their friends, once an ornery looking old man had smacked my behind and Sora and Riku had to haul him out by his arms.

For the most part, however, customers were happy to come in, enjoy their ice cream, chat a little and leave, and before long I even had my favorites. There was Olette, a smart studious girl who was currently pursuing a degree in history, Lea, a talkative young man who worked full time at the next door restaurant and would sometimes consume up to four scoops of ice cream at a time, and of course Aqua would come in every day after work in hopes of a free parfait. Sometimes she'd come and meet her friend Terra, on those days he'd pay for her ice cream, but usually it came straight out of my check.

Every now and then, Mr. Eyepatch would show up, I was never his server, but still I could feel his eye on me the whole time I was working, and it made me uncomfortable, it felt like he knew something about me, but whatever it was, I didn't want to know.

"Hey, Kairi?" Sora seemed a bit awkward as we finished closing up the shop on Friday night.

"Yeah?"

"Me and Riku are going out for Okonomiyaki after work at the restaurant next door," he scratched at his cheek with his index finger, " you wanna come?"

"Can I?" I asked, excited.

"I said so didn't I?" He said, a phrase I was becoming annoyingly familiar with, I reached out and pinched his nose and he laughed.

"What's an 'Okonomiyaki'?"

"You really must have been living under a rock, huh Kairi?"

"Maybe?" I shrugged my shoulders, anything was possible.

"Just say that you'll come," he said, "I promise it's good."

XxX

After work, Sora and I met Riku next door. The restaurant was usually dark and nondescript in the day time, but at night it blew up in a cluster of red lights and bright neon signs. The mouthwatering smell of grilling meat and frying vegetables wafted into the street like fragrant mist.

"Kairi's never had Okonomiyaki," Sora said to Riku, he looked at me and raised his eyebrows.

"Really?" He looked at me, "have you been living under a rock?"

"That's what I said!"

The three of us entered the noisy crowded restaurant. The atmosphere was so different from the Creamery, though it was similarly busy. People sat closer here, talked quieter, men and women sat cuddled up at the bar nursing their beers next to old business men with heavily lined faces and distant stares. It was strange and fascinating all at once, a few people frowned at me for staring at them and I tried to curb my curiosity.

"Come on, this way." Sora grabbed my hand and led me to a table in the corner. In the middle of the table there was a large flat iron grill.

"What's that?" I asked Riku, pointing.

"That's to cook the Okonomiyaki, we do it ourselves," he said, casually opening the menu.

"What kind do you want Kairi?" Sora asked, pouring over his own menu. I flipped through mine, hoping I could play it off like I knew what I was doing. Aqua had been teaching me to read a little on weekends, and I was really taking off, but even still I could only read about a 10th of the items on the menu.

"Surprise me," I said, folding my menu and placing it on the edge of the table, Sora and Riku exchanged a look.

"You're too trusting," said Riku.

"That's not fair, I'll go easy on Kairi." Sora scowled. I was confused as usual, so I just smiled and listened to the two boys squabbling back and forth.

"Oh hey, you brought the kiddo," Lea sidled up to the table in his waiter uniform.

"You look very dapper, Lea," I said.

"It's Axel here," he ran a hand through his flaming red hair, beside me Sora snorted with laughter.

"Why Axel?" I asked, tilting my head.

"It just sounds cooler, right?"

"You sound like a male stripper," said Riku, Sora burst into hopeless laughter beside me.

"I'll spit in your food," 'Axel' said, "hasn't anyone told you not to hassle the servers?"

"Remember I make your milkshakes," Sora said not looking up from his menu, Axel's green eyes narrowed.

"So what'll it be?" He said, resigned. He pulled his pad and pen out of his apron pocket.

"Me and Kairi want the seafood batter," said Sora, "and Riku wants spicy Okonomiyaki." Sora pushed the menus over to Axel who tucked them under his arm.

"Sea food, huh?" He raised his eyebrows at me, "okay, I'll bring it right out." He cast a last look at me and headed towards the kitchen.

"I like the name 'Axel'," I said, "I think it suits him."

"You're sweet, Kairi," Riku chuckled, Sora choked on his soda.

"Kairi's off limits," he said, wiping his mouth and giving Riku a stern look.

"Who says?"

"Off limits for what?" I asked, both boys looked unwilling to answer.

"Two seafood, one fire," Axel appeared and set 3 small bowls in front of us, "tell me what you think." I picked up my bowl and frowned, this food was entirely raw, I looked to Sora for direction and he grabbed my bowl, he mixed up the batter quickly and poured it onto the hot iron grill. I watched as he shaped it into a circle with a little metal spatula, he was good at this. My mouth began to water at the smell of sizzling shrimp and vegetables as the Okonomiyaki began to brown on the grill.

"You can cook the next one," Sora said, grabbing my plate from me and serving me up, "no one eats for free."

"It looks delicious," I said to Sora, "thank you."

"Eat up," he said casually, but his cheeks were flushed with pride. Without wasting any time, I took a big bite of the Okonomiyaki. It was amazing, I didn't know what all was in it, but it was savory and crispy and almost melted in my mouth.

"It's delicious," I smiled at Axel, "Thanks for the good work."

"Yeah, no big deal," he sauntered off, pleased with himself.

"and lastly, thanks for cooking it for me, Sora," I turned to him and he passed me his bowl.

"Yeah, well now it's your turn."

XxX

"I had a lot of fun tonight," I told Sora as he walked me home. It was a cool, clear night, the moon shone like a big yellow spotlight in the sky.

"Me too," he said, "Me and Riku go there once a week. You could join us from now on, if you want to."

"I'd love--" I paused, a rash of goosebumps went up my spine, someone was watching me. I turned around, my shoulders rigid, my jaw set. It was the man with the eye patch from earlier, standing in the parking lot of a cigarette shop a dozen or so yards away, his hands buried deep in his pockets, his one eye gleaming in the light of the street lamps. I opened my mouth to say something to Sora, but he grabbed my hand and tugged me along.

"Come on," he said, his voice was light but I could tell that he knew something was up because of how quickly he was walking. I squeezed his hand, grateful he was here. "We're gonna go to my place real quick," he whispered, "from there we can call Aqua and get you a taxi, I don't want him following you home."

"Do you know him?"

"I know his name is Braig, Cid knows a little about him, says he used to work as some sort of performer," he shrugged his shoulders. "At any rate, I keep seeing him around you and I don't like it, I get the feeling he's up to something."

"Wow Sora, I had no idea you were so paranoid,"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" He frowned at me and I laughed.

"Nothing, thank you, you're very kind."

"Yeah, no problem," he didn't look at me, but his grip on my hand tightened a little bit.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

"Okay, so my apartment is a little messy," Sora ran his hand through his spiky brown hair, looking uncomfortable, "it's not always like this, I've just been busy with work and..."

"Relax Sora, it's not like I'm the Queen of cleanliness either."

"Yeah," he smiled, "it's just the first time I've ever had a girl in my room."

"Not even Aqua?" I asked, Sora shook his head.

"Me and Aqua are friends, but we aren't buddies you know?"

"Buddies?" As far as I knew the two words were synonyms, Sora scratched the back of his head.

"People you hang out with to have fun, like me and Riku, we're buddies, and I'm buddies with Hayner, Pence and Olette."

"And me?" I asked, he faltered as he was unlocking his door and his keys fell, he stopped to pick them up, avoiding eye contact.

"Sure, we can be buddies, if you're cool with that." The door creaked open and he lead me inside. The apartment smelled a little musty, but when he flipped on the light I saw that it wasn't nearly as messy as he had led me to believe. There was some miscellaneous laundry here and there, some dirty socks, and old t-shirt, a few empty cans of soda scattered here and there, from the way he had made it sound I was expecting a squatter situation. "Go ahead and sit down," he motioned to a sagging plush couch, " here's my cellphone, you know Aqua's number right?" I

"Yeah, it's in my wallet,"

"You call her, I'll go make tea."

"Thank you."

"Stop that," he grinned at me, " you've said thanks too much, from this point onwards your gratitude is implied. " he disappeared into the kitchen. Sora's phone wasn't password protected, I smiled when I saw his screen saver, a picture of him and Riku being swarmed by seagulls on the beach, Sora had a french fry in his hand and looked like he was having a blast while Riku was trying to ward off a particularly aggressive looking seagull. I shook myself back to the present and dialed Aqua's number.

"Sora?" Aqua answered on the second ring, "where the Hell is Kairi? I'm headed to the Creamery right now, if you've tried anything with her so help me God I'll--"

"Aqua, it's me I'm okay, I'm sorry I didn't call earlier."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at Sora's place," I said, there was a long silence on the other line before Aqua said:

"Hand him the phone." Aqua stayed quiet while I got up to look for him, I found him in his little kitchenette, carefully pouring boiling water into a mug.

"Aqua wants to talk to you," I held the phone out to him, he looked puzzled but he took it from me.

"Hello?" I watched as all the color drained from his face, "wait, calm down, it's nothing like that!" He said urgently into the receiver, "no, Aqua, please hear me out here, Kairi is my friend." There was a pause, Sora gave me a panicked look and I shrugged my shoulders. "Of course, I know, I'm gonna call her a cab and she'll be home safe soon," another pause, "I swear nothing happened Aqua, you know me better than that. Alright, I'll hand you back to Kairi." He handed the phone back to me quickly, like it might bite him.

"Hello?"

"Hi, how come you didn't call me earlier, I was so worried about you!" Aqua had taken on a motherly tone, and I smiled.

"I'm sorry, I should have called I was just having so much fun, I went out for Okonomiyaki with Sora and Riku..." I excitedly told her about the food, and 'Axel' and finally about Braig, "don't worry though," I said, "Sora is taking care of me."

"Please don't say things like that," Sora groaned.

"Alright, we need to get you a cellphone on your next day off," Aqua said sternly.

"Okay, on my day off," I nodded my head even though she couldn't see me.

"Have Sora pay for your cab since its his fault that I nearly had a heart attack."

"I'll tell him," I hung up and Sora handed me a mug full of hot, fragrant tea. "Aqua says you should pay for the cab, since you almost gave her a heart attack." Sora nodded, his cheeks and the tips of his ears were bright red, probably because Aqua had scolded him. "I'm sorry she yelled at you, she got worried, it's my fault."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Sora led me back to the living room and sat down on the couch leaving plenty of space for me to sit next to him, "there was just a little misunderstanding, I think we worked it out."

"A misunderstanding about what?" I asked, Sora only shook his head, but his blush deepened into an even darker red.

"Anyways, we should probably call you that taxi."

XxX

I arrived home at 2:30 in the morning, my feet hurt, my hair was a mess and I was exhausted. I found Aqua sitting up in the living room waiting for me with a newspaper open on her lap, there were dark circles under her eyes. Guilt washed over me, she must have been scared.

"I'm sorry," I murmured. Aqua got up and stretched, her joints popped.

"Don't worry about it, just don't do it again, okay?"

"I promise," I glanced up at her and she ruffled my already messy red hair.

"Get a shower and then go to bed, you're still going to work tomorrow right?"

"Yep, Cid still has me on 'probation' so I can't miss it." I gave her a guilty smile and she smiled back at me.

"Goodnight sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite."


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

"It's gonna be a four day weekend," Sora said one day during lunch break while I was wiping down the tables. He and Riku were sitting at a booth, Riku was on his phone, and Sora was spacing out, like they usually did on their lunch breaks. "We should go to the beach."

"Who's we?" Riku asked, not looking up from his phone.

"You me and Kairi, the three amigos, all for one and one for all." Riku rolled his eyes and I tried to stifle a giggle with my hand.

"I'm in," I said.

"Not me," Riku said, he gave me a wicked grin, "just take Kairi, I'm sure she'll want to see our secret base."

"Secret base?" I asked, excited, it sounded like an adventure.

"Um..." Sora stared down at his shoes, "do you still wanna go, Kairi? Just the two of us?"

"Yes!" I clapped my hands together, "I really really wanna go!" When Sora looked up at me he was grinning, his blue eyes were bright and excited.

"You've got a cell phone, right?" The intensity of his gaze was making my heart flutter.

"Yeah," I produced my phone from my skirt pocket and handed it to him. It was a small silver flip phone, I didn't want anything too fancy, but I had bought a little blue dolphin charm for it as an accessory. Sora entered his phone number and handed it back to me.

"We'll meet up Friday morning, we'll wanna get there early, before it gets too hot." I nodded as he spoke, still a bit distracted by the nervous feeling in my chest, it was uncomfortable, I chalked it up to excitement, a secret base sounded like a lot of fun.

"Th-" I stopped myself and shook my head, "you're kind, Sora." He grinned at me, but didn't answer.

XxX

By the time Friday finally rolled around, I felt like a nervous wreck. I didn't know why, it was a complete mystery, but I was both scared and excited to see Sora. I had been texting him semi regularly (with Aqua's help) over the past few days, and I had seen him at work, of course, but actually hanging out with him one on one felt different somehow, I tried to shake it, reminding myself that we'd been alone before, and focusing instead on the secret base.

At 10:00 am, my phone rang, and stifling the pounding of my heart I answered it.

"Good morning!" Sora sounded as cheery as ever, I couldn't help but smile.

"Morning, are we still meeting up today?"

"Yep, by the clock tower down town at 11:30 sharp," he said, I could hear the teasing in his voice, "if you're late I'll be mad, okay?."

"I won't be late," I laughed, we hung up and I headed for the door, I was already dressed, and had been since about 8:00, I had tossed and turned the night before, plagued with dreams of tidal waves and grasping, greedy hands chasing me, and now I was kind of buzzing with energy.

"Aqua?" I knocked on her bedroom door, when Aqua got the chance she slept in as late as she possibly could. "I'm heading out, okay?"

"Be safe," she mumbled from inside, I smiled and headed out the door.

XxX

I was about 15 minutes early, the giant clock in the middle of downtown had chimed for 11:00 just a few minutes before, to pass the time I decided to give myself a little tour of the area, the tower was the tallest building downtown so I couldn't get lost. I was fascinated by the little shops selling souvenirs and accessories, and I even found a theater center, advertising something with a picture of an elephant decorated with many jewels.

The weather couldn't be better, it was warm, but not hot, there was a nice cool breeze coming off the ocean. I closed my eyes and let it rustle through my hair.

"Kairi?" I turned and saw Sora standing there, he was dressed in a t-shirt and baggy shorts, and his hair seemed a bit neater than usual, he had a puzzled look on his face and a shopping bag in his hand "you're early."

"So are you," I pointed out, and he blushed.

"Yeah, well..." He held up the bag, "I figured I'd get us something to eat while we're out there."

"Like a picnic?" I asked, excited.

"Yeah, sorta," he grinned, "since we're both here already, shall we go?"

"To the secret base!"

XxX

We had to get a paddle boat to get out to the little islet that served as a sort of hang out for the local kids. Sora rowed us out quickly and confidently, smiling and chatting the whole way. He wasn't very tall, or very muscular, but he was well built and sturdy, the muscles in his forearms flexed as he rowed, I was fascinated by it.

"Kairi?" He asked, "you doin' okay?"

"Oh!" I felt the blood rush to my face, "yeah, I'm fine, it's really relaxing out here, I guess I was just spacing out."

"I know, it's a beautiful day," he looked up at the cloudless blue sky, "I love days like this." I leaned over the side of the boat and let my fingers trail in the water. "There it is!" Said Sora, pointing ahead at a little stretch of golden sand poking out of the waves.

"It's like a little forest," I said, surprised, palms swayed and bobbed in the breeze, whispering and rustling at one another in low slither voices. It was empty today, all the kids were still in school on a Friday morning, so we had the island to ourselves. Sora tied the boat to the dock and I climbed out.

The minute my feet touched the warm sand I was struck by a sense of familiarity so strong that it felt like a punch in the gut.

"I've been here before,"

"You have?" Sora asked, coming up behind me with the shopping bag.

"Yeah, positive, but I can't remember why, or even when," I turned in a slow circle, taking it all in. Finally, I looked out to sea, that vast expanse of churning blue water, I felt an ache in my chest.

"Kairi?"

"Oh!" I jumped, coming back to myself, "sorry, I spaced out for a little."

"That's okay, it's hard not to get distracted by the scenery," he headed inland as he spoke, and I followed him, shaking off the feeling of loneliness that had appeared all of the sudden. "Our secret base is this way."

He led me into the shade, where the palms clustered close together. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was joined by the steady trickling of a waterfall. "It's so peaceful here," I murmured.

"It's like our own private vacation spot," Sora said, then he back tracked a little "I mean, for all of us. You me, and Riku..."

"The three amigos," I chuckled.

"Yeah, all for one,"

"And one for all." I followed him up a small stone walkway, and into a small tunnel, hidden partially under the overgrowth It was dark, cool, and damp, hidden from the sun.

"Hold one one minute," Sora said from ahead of me, "ah, here we go." Sora clicked on a small flashlight he had and the cave lit up. It was a small, dark passage way that led into a circular room, chalk drawings and graffiti covered the walls.

"Did you and Riku do all this?" I asked, admiring them.

"No," he chuckled, "after Riku and I stopped coming here some other kids must have found it and made their mark, come this way." We had to stoop as we entered the circular cavern, Sora led me to the far wall and pointed at some faded chalk sketches, "these are ours." I smiled as I saw the two boys names written on the walls, these had been carved into the stone, I ran my fingers over the markings.

"Riku's hand writing is much better," I mused, and Sora frowned at me.

"Everyone always says that,"

"But my hand writing is worse than both of yours," I nudged him with my shoulder.

"Let's see if mine has improved any," he pulled out a small, blunt penknife from the pocket of his baggy jean shorts and began carving into the stone. When he was finished I recognized my name, he had made sure to gouge it in deep, just like his name and Riku's.

"No, it doesn't look like it's improved any," I shook my head.

"Hey!" He was about to say something else but I grabbed his hand, intertwining my fingers with his, his hand was big, and warm and rough.

"Thank you, this made me really happy," I smiled sincerely. Sora didn't say anything for a while, he only stared at me, his lips slightly parted, his eyes stormy and conflicted. He leaned towards me a little, I felt his warm breath on my face and my heart started pounding painfully in my chest, I was worried that if he got any closer he would be able to hear it.

Suddenly, the flashlight fizzled out and we were both plunged into darkness, I jumped and banged my head painfully against Sora's.

"Ow, ow, ow..." Sora groaned from somewhere in the darkness, he had moved away from me, probably to avoid anymore abuse, and I clutched my sore forehead I was both relieved and disappointed by the lack of proximity.

"Let's get outta here, no point hanging around if he can't even see," his voice was cheerful, but nervous, a little shakey.

"Okay," I said, "if it's alright with you, can I hold your hand? I don't want to bump into anything." Sora didn't answer, but his hand found mine in the dark and he squeezed it tight, walking slowly and carefully he led us out of the cavern and down the tunnel. He didn't say a word until we both emerge into the sunlight.

"C'mon, I know a good place to eat, it's pretty, you'll see."

XxX

We went to a little shack overlooking the ocean, with his help we climbed up on the slanting wooden roof, and sat side by side, our legs dangling off the side.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, so I got a little bit of everything," he said, rustling around in the shopping bag, he produced multiple packages of bread. Anpan, curry bread, Melonpan, cream buns, and unagipan.

"You really did go all out,"

"Yep, I have a reputation for that."

"Which one do you like best?"

"Hmm..." He closely inspected each one, "probably the cream buns, working at the ice cream shop has given me a sweet tooth."

"I'll have the Anpan then," I grabbed the package and opened it quickly with my teeth.

"You looked a little feral there for a second," Sora chuckled, as I took a bite of the bread.

"Oh," I squirmed, embarrassed, "I didn't mean to."

"Ya know, I'm pretty happy I met you Kairi, you make work a lot more fun." He leaned back on his hands, looking over the island like he was keeping watch.

"Thanks," I felt deliriously happy right now, "I'm glad that I met you too."

XxX

**A\N: Wow this chapter was long, I get a bit too carried away with fluff scenes, but you're supposed to write what you love, right? Thank you so much for your support so far, I'm still pretty new to Fanfiction and I still haven't figured everything out, but I really do appreciate you guys.****Thanks Again!**


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

When I got home Aqua was awake and watching game shows on the couch. She was dressed and her makeup was done, her hair was brushed and styled, but judging by the slippers on her feet and the small mountain of snacks she had accumulated on the coffee table in front of her she had been home all day, nevertheless, she looked happy to see me.

"How was your day?" She asked as I sat down next to her and reached for a kit-kat bar.

"It was so much fun," I said brightly, "Sora carved my name into a cave and then we ate bread on a roof," Aqua gave me a concerned look

"That sounds...interesting... you two have really hit it off, haven't you?" She grabbed the notebook that she usually had on hand to help me write, "Do you know how to write his name?" I shook my head and opened up my own small book, Aqua and I had a 'game', where she would write down a word or a sentence, and I would copy it over and over again until my handwriting became somewhat legible, Aqua could be surprisingly strict.

"Sora is a lot of fun, he's taught me a lot and I want to find a way to thank him properly," I chewed on the inside of my cheek, drawing a blank, "I'm taking suggestions."

"Maybe you can make him some cookies?" She wrote something in her notebook and passed it to me.

"It's the character for sky, you taught me this before," I remembered his sunny smile and the storm in his eyes, "it suits him." I copied it down carefully in my notebook.

"Sugar cookies are easy to make for beginners, I'm pretty sure I have a cook book here somewhere... " Aqua got up and stretched, balancing on the balls of her feet I watched, feeling slightly jealous, everything she did seemed effortless and elegant, she never got flustered or overly emotional. "Here we are." She handed me a thin, laminated binder.

"I can't read this,"

"Yes you can." She smiled

XxX

I returned to work in good spirits after my four day weekend, package of cookies safely in my bag. I had burnt the first batch, so Aqua and I ate them, but these ones had turned out a lot better, at least, I hoped so.

Sora was at work before me, as usual, he had a sandwich in his hand and a far off look on his face, but he perked up a little when he saw me.

"Hey, good morning," he looked down at his sandwich as if seeing it for the first time, "wow, I'm out of it today."

"That's not like you," I put my hand to his forehead, "you don't feel warm."

"Ah, yeah," he backed up a little and tossed his sandwich in the bin, "maybe you gave me brain damage when you knocked your head against mine," he made a face, "it hurts just thinking about it."

"Well, here this might cheer you up," I grabbed the cookies from my bag and handed them to him, "I tried to make cookies, tell me what you think?"

"Home made cookies? You're right that does cheer me up, hand em over," he tore into the package as soon as I handed it to him. "These are so good," he said, not waiting to swallow before speaking.

"You're such a kid sometimes, honestly," I handed him a napkin, "you've got crumbs all over your face." Sora wiped his face, and then sheepishly handed me a cookie.

"Thanks Kairi." We both jumped as the door swung open and Riku strolled in, yawning.

"Good morning Riku," I said, "Is Cid sleeping in today?"

"You guessed it," he looked around, "hey, where'd you get the cookies?"

"Kairi made them for me," Sora said wrapping them back up and shoving them in his jacket pocket.

"I want one,"

"She made them for me, you can have free ice cream." I watched their back and forth, amused.

"Not fair, Hey Kairi you should make me my own batch," said Riku, "since Sora is being a miser. "

"I guess I coul-"

"Me and Riku are gonna make cookies together so you don't have to worry about it," Sora cut in, smiling brightly, "It'll be fun, right Riku?"

"I guess so..." Riku looked annoyed, but once Sora made up his mind there was really no talking him out of it. The door chimed again as our first customer of the day walked in.

"Good morning!" I called.

XxX

It took a longer time closing up The Creamery than usual, especially for a Monday. Sora and Riku had been having a battle over who could stock the shelves quicker and they were now bickering (albeit light heartedly) in the back room.

I decided to head out after I finished mopping, Sora always walked me home, but he was busy at the moment, and I'd feel bad interrupting him for something so silly. Besides, I had gotten pretty used to the walk to and from work at this point, I could probably do it in my sleep.

It was a rainy night, I brought my umbrella, but I didn't open it, the rain felt good on my skin after being inside all day. The night was almost completely silent, the insects and the birds that usually filled the island with their song had hidden away from the weather, It was sort of lonely.

A crack of thunder got me moving, thunder frightened me, though I couldn't put my finger on why. I hurried down the street, splashing through puddles and splattering my legs with mud. Aqua's apartment was a 10 minute walk from the Creamery, I was cold, and soaked through, but I was almost home.

"Hey!" A gruff male voice from behind me made me jump and I turned around, wielding my umbrella like a club. It was, of course, the last person I wanted to see; Braig, grinning like an absolute maniac, leaning against a street light.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, more annoyed than anything else. Just when I was feeling all independent this guy had to show up, grand.

"What are _you_ doing here, Kairi?" He asked, his smile widened, his teeth, abnormally white, glinted in the light of the moonlight, I took a step back.

"I don't see how that concerns you at all," I hoped I sounded less scared than I felt, I wasn't sure I could hurt him with my umbrella, but I was willing to try if I had to.

"Don't be like that," he took a step towards me, "I've missed you,"

I thrust my umbrella in his face, "step back!" My hands were shaking, he didn't even flinch.

"Real scary Kairi, I'm so impressed," he grabbed the end of my umbrella and yanked, hard, sending me careening into him. He wrapped one arm around me tightly, pinning my arms against his chest. I struggled, kicking and even attempting to bite him, but his grip was like a steel trap. Giving up, I sucked in a deep breath and screamed as loud as I could. It was loud enough to startle Braig who dropped me painfully onto the cement, knocking the wind out of me, he clutched at his ears, cursing. I took the chance to get to my feet, breathing raggedly and holding my throbbing chest, there was no real chance of me out running him, but if he came at me again I would do whatever I could to hurt him, I wouldn't go without a fight.

I reached for my crumpled umbrella when I heard footsteps slamming against the wet pavement, I turned my head and saw Sora, barreling down the street towards us. He skidded to a stop in front of me, facing Braig, fists clenched so tightly at his sides that his knuckles were bleached white. I was surprised, I'd never seen Sora angry, not once, but now he was shaking with fury.

"You need to leave," Sora said, he had forgotten his own umbrella back at the creamery, and his clothes were soaking, but he didn't seem to notice. Braig stared blandly back at him, his one yellow eye glowing like a cat's eye in the dark, after a moment he turned his attention back to me.

"Good luck," he shrugged one shoulder, unconcerned, "you're living on borrowed time Kairi, and when that time runs out, I'll be there to collect," he turned sharply on his heel and walked away, whistling tunelessly to himself. I reached out to Sora but he jerked around to face me, his eyes were deadly serious.

"I told you that I'd walk you home,"

"I know, but you were talking to Riku, and I thought-" I forgot the rest of my sentence when he pulled me into a tight hug, I could hear his heart pounding frantically in his chest, he was still trembling.

"I was scared," he murmured against my hair, "you were just gone, I looked everywhere and I couldn't find you, and then I heard you scream," his breath caught, and he held me tighter, "I was really scared."

"I should have told you," I wrapped my arms around him and stroked his back, trying to comfort him, "I'm sorry, It will never happen again."

"Promise?" he pulled back and looked me in the eyes, suddenly I was uncomfortably aware of our proximity.

"I promise," I slipped out of his arms and grabbed my umbrella, "we're gonna catch a cold," I held it out to him, " I'll share this with you." He smiled at me, looking tired, but I was just happy to see that he wasnt angry with me.

"Thank you," he ran a hand through his dripping hair, "thank goodness."


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

"It'll take longer if you don't stay still," I grumbled, trying to dry Sora's hair while he wriggled around like a worm on a hook.

"I can't help it, you're tickling me!"

"You're such a baby, hold still or I'll tape you down, you're dripping all over my bed." I brushed at a wet spot soaking into the couch. Sora tried his best to stay still but he jumped every time I brushed his neck, "ugh," I tossed the towel onto his head and flopped back on the couch, "dry yourself off then." I turned on the tv and flipped through the channels, the clock on the wall said it was midnight.

Sora and I had finally made it home, soaked through and shivering and Aqua (reluctantly) said that Sora could spend the night as long as he slept on the floor, a tropical storm was raging hard outside, and it would have been a bad idea for him to walk home in it.

But it was gonna be hard for me to sleep with Sora just inches away, close enough to reach out a hand and touch him. I tried to shake the thought from my head, and finally settled on a cooking channel, some cake decorating show was on.

"Oh! I almost forgot," he reached into his jacket pocket and produced the (rather soggy) bag of cookies, "the packaging is wet, but the cookies should be fine," Sora grinned, "you wanna share them?"

"Okay,"

Sora pulled a star shaped cookie from the bag, Aqua had 3 cookie cutters, a star, a heart and a little man. "This one looks like a paopu fruit," he said wistfully.

"I think I've seen those on the local news, they're important, right?"

"Yep," he snapped the cookie in two and handed half to me, smiling mischievously, I took it.

"Why's it important again?"

"Don't remember," he crammed his half of the cookie in his mouth, I shrugged and nibbled at mine. We sat in comfortable silence for a while, I watched TV without really paying attention to it, my attention was pulled this way and that by my nerves. "Hey, Kairi?" Sora asked suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing," he shook his head, smiling, "right now isn't a good time." I quirked an eyebrow at him, but I didn't push.

"You saved me tonight, thank you," I said, "I forgot to say it before."

"Welcome," he murmured. I yawned and closed my eyes, leaning against his shoulder, I wouldn't sleep, I'd just doze off, the hammering of my heartbeat would keep me awake.

XxX

I woke up to the sound of my alarm blaring. I groaned and pulled my blanket up over my head, not prepared for life yet, I needed 5 more minutes, or maybe 10. I heard a low grumbling from somewhere beside me, and I bolted upright, suddenly remembering the events of the night before. Sora was sprawled out on the floor, rubbing one eye, he had one pillow under his head, and one clutched against his stomach, he had no blanket and had only one sock on, it was surprisingly cute.

"Good morning," I whispered.

"Mmmm..." He sat up and yawned, "what time is it?" His hair was sticking up on one side of his head, and flat on the other, I pressed my hand to mouth to stop myself from giggling.

"It's 8:00," I handed him his phone.

"We don't have to be at work until 9:30," he flopped onto his back and closed his eyes.

"Don't you have to get ready?" I asked.

"It doesn't take me an hour and a half, I just get dressed, brush my teeth, and then I'm ready," he rolled onto his side and grinned at me, "your hair looks like a porcupine."

"Your hair always looks like a porcupine," I shot back.

"Yeah, I had no idea I was such a trend setter," he reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of my face. "You passed out on me last night."

"I did?"

"Yep, you must of been pretty tired, you didn't even wake up when I moved," he chuckled. I felt my cheeks get warm. "Or when I wrapped you up in a blanket like a sushi roll,"

"I guess I must have been,"

"Don't worry," he sat back up and stretched his arms over his head, "it was cute." He got to his feet and looked around, still bleary eyed, "so, what's for breakfast?"

XxX

Aqua and I sat at the table while Sora shuffled around in the kitchen, whistling. He had insisted on making breakfast, and Aqua was happy to let him. When I tried to help he shooed me out of the kitchen, insisting that I let him do it himself. So we waited, and waited,

"It sounds like he's making a mess," Aqua sighed.

"He'll clean up after himself," I said, sliding my glass of water back and forth like a hockey puck.

"All done!" Sora flung the door open, carrying a tray full of food.

"Wow..." Aqua said, wow indeed. Sora had gone all out, pancakes, eggs, toast, bacon, orange juice. "I didn't know we had orange juice."

"You had oranges," Sora set a plate in front of me, "eat up," he said mimicking Cid, " yer skin and bones."

"You made us fresh squeezed orange juice?" Aqua said, amazed, "can you move in?" I laughed at the delighted expression on her face.

"Uh...I don't..." Sora looked nervous so I patted his hand.

"She's kidding, no boys allowed,"

"Good," he sighed, "I mean not good, this place is great, just uh..." His cheeks had gone fire engine red.

"This is delicious!" Aqua said, entirely ignoring us.

"Sit down Sora," I pointed to the chair next to me and he did what he was told, happily tucking in to his breakfast.

"So," Aqua said, wiping her mouth with a napkin, "what happened last night?" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sora's face harden.

"This guy named Braig has been following Kairi," he said bluntly, "we had a run in with him."

"He tried to take me," I said, "he said some strange things..."

"Like what?" Aqua looked concerned.

"He said that I'm living on borrowed time," I frowned trying to think, "I think he knows about me, about my past."

"He's a creep," Sora said huffily, "it doesn't matter what he knows, if I see him again, there'll be trouble."

"Maybe we should install a security system," Aqua said absently, "we have the deadbolt of course, but I'm sure I could talk Terra into installing an alarm."

"That's an excellent idea!" Sora said brightly, "and maybe I'll buy Kairi a taser,"

"What's a taser?" I asked, Aqua and Sora exchanged a look.

"Let's hold off on the taser for now?" Aqua said.

XxX

"We're gonna be late!" I jogged a little ahead of Sora, trying to get him to hurry up. Sora walked along at his usual leisurely pace, arms crossed behind his head, a slight smile on his face.

"So? Cid won't complain much,"

"Still, I don't want him to get mad at me,"

"Cid never gets mad, he just likes to pretend he does, can't have people thinkin' he's too soft."

"I don't even want him pretend mad at me,"

"Don't worry, if I have to I'll come and save you again," he fixed me with another one of his serious looks, "no matter what." I always felt nervous when he looked at me like that, not bad nervous...just...nervous. Part of it was because Sora did it so rarely, usually he was a sweet, smiley dork, but when he looked at me like that he looked a lot older, and somehow more capable, it was hard to describe, and even harder to understand.

"I know you will," I reached for his hand and he intertwined his fingers with mine.

"Say Kairi..." He began, "I was about to ask you something last night, but it wasn't a good time," he looked down at his shoes but his grip on my hand tightened.

"Oh yeah, about the legend of the Paopu fruit right?" I asked, "did you remember?" Sora looked taken aback by this,

"No, not that, I'll get to that one later," he took a deep breath, " what I'm trying to say is we've known eachother for a little while now, right?"

"2 months and 17 days," I nodded.

"I have a lot of fun when I'm with you," he said releasing my hand, "you're different than anyone on the island, and I want to spend more time hanging out with you, so... I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to..."

"Sora! There you are!" Sora and I turned to see Riku, looking more than a little annoyed. Sora sighed in frustration. "Where have you been?" Riku demanded, Sora hesitated, then have me a pleading look.

"He's walking me to work," I said, "we ran into Braig last night, and I've been a bit paranoid," I said quickly, Sora nodded.

"Braig, huh?" Riku's expression darkened and Sora and I exchanged a worried glance, "come on, you've gotta see this." He led us to the creamery, silent, but clearly angry, when we got there I saw why.

"Oh no..." I said weakly, the Creamery had been destroyed. The windows had all been smashed in, the tables had been overturned, and there was graffiti covering almost everything. I turned to speak to Sora, but he was far away. His skin was ashen, his eyes were wide and flat, he seemed to sway a little, like a tree in a strong breeze. I followed his gaze to where two words were sprayed in thick black paint:

**_TICK TOCK_**


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

"This can't go on," Sora said to Cid "it's too much, he needs to go to jail."

"Calm down," said Cid, " we've called the cops they'll figure it out." The four of us were standing around waiting nervously for the police to arrive. Sora and I had tried to clean up, but Cid stopped us and now we had nothing to do but sit and think. The words _'tick tock' _ were all over the place, I tried not to look at them, but I kept finding myself staring, part of me wished I had never learned to read. Dark, abstract pictures, snippets of my past, flashed across my mind, my head was throbbing, making it hard to think.

A dark room, stone walls, the sound of rushing water and the feeling that something was pulling me back, I tried to reach out, grip on to something, but my fingers grasped only air.

"Kairi?" Riku's voice shook me out of my recollections.

"Oh, I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I was just asking you what happened with Braig," he repeated, patiently. I told him the whole story, omitting the part where Sora and I got to my place and he spent the night of course.

"He's definitely targeting you," he said, "do you have any idea why? Any information could help."

"I don't know..." I frowned, thinking hard, "I'm pretty sure that I knew him before, but I can't remember anything."

"He's obviously some kind of pervert, or a mugger or something, or maybe he's just some crazy stalker who thinks Kairi is cute," Sora cut in.

"No," I shook my head, "I really don't think that's it, there was nothing in that gaze, he looked at me like a shark looks at a seal, or like some sort of...exhibit, I don't know how to describe it."

"At any rate, we oughtta think of yer safety," said Cid, "workin' the floor at the Creamery might just be too dangerous, not that it's in any shape to work in right now anyway," he gave me a sad little smile, "Looks like you'll have to--"

"No," I cut him off, shaking my head, "if I leave now, it will be like letting him win. Besides, I can help you clean up."

"I wasn't gonna ask ye to leave," Cid put a big, Brown hand on my head and ruffled my hair, "I just thought it may be better for ye to work behind the counter, where I can keep an eye on ye."

"What will you do then, Cid?" Sora asked, Cid shrugged his shoulders.

"Thank you Cid, but...if it's okay with you, I feel perfectly safe, I can take care of myself, and besides Sora is here to help me if I need it."

"Oh, really?" He looked at Sora and Sora looked away, "well far be it from me to tell ye how to live your life," he shrugged his brawny shoulders.

The three of us snapped to attention when the police pulled up outside, the two officers got out and surveyed the damage. Cid left the three of us alone to go speak to them, and we stood in awkward silence, watching their exchange for a few minutes.

Sora was the first to break it: "any problems with Okonomiyaki for lunch?"

XxX

"So you think it's this Braig guy?" Axel leaned over the table, resting his chin in his hand. He had been listening to Sora and Riku rehash the events of the morning, patiently and quietly, which was unlike him.

"Who else could it be?" Said Sora, "'Tick Tock', who else knows about that?"

"Maybe his crew?"

"His crew?" I asked.

"All I'm saying is what if he's not the only one?"

"That's a scary thought," said Sora.

"But it's a good one to consider," Riku put in.

"Why though?" I asked, "what does he, or they, want with me?"

"You'd know that better than I do," said Axel, straightening up, "I gotta get back to work, or I'll get a real tongue lashing." He gave us a small wave and scurried back to the kitchen, not looking back, Sora and Riku exchanged a glance.

"I feel like I'm causing trouble for you guys," I murmured. Sora smiled sweetly at me and shook his head,

"You didn't do anything, it's the wannabe pirate potential sex trafficker that's the problem here."

"But..."

"But nothing, I don't want to hear anything about it being your fault again," he held a bite of Okonomiyaki out to me, "say 'aaah.'"

"Aaah," I opened my mouth without hesitation.

"Well, this is awkward," said Riku, taking a sip of his water.

"Hmm?" I looked at him confused, mouth full of food.

"You too Riku," Sora said, holding his chopsticks out to him, "say 'aaah'." Riku smacked the chopsticks out of his hand, and I stifled my giggles behind my napkin. It was nice to be talking and laughing like usual again, all of us had been pretty shaken when we came in.

But still, something was niggling at the back of my mind, the another shadow of a memory. I struggled with myself, half wanting to remember, and half knowing I had forgotten for a reason.

"I think I remember...a weapon..." I murmured , mostly to myself, I was focusing hard but the memory was elusive, and it kept slipping away from me, my head was starting to hurt. "A metal weapon, I know it but I forget what it's called, it's what he's known for."

"A gun?" Riku asked.

"He's a trick shooter," the words came to me almost unconsciously, I didn't even know what they meant but they had overflowed from my mouth unbidden, like water breaking through a dam, a bolt of pain shot through my head.

"Sora?" Riku turned to him.

"He's some sort of a performer, it's not really clear," Sora was squinting at a page he had pulled up on his phone.

"A performer!" I said, nodding eagerly, "yes, that's it!" Sora and Riku looked at me surprised my my outburst. "He's a performer in some sort of...of..." I frowned, trying to think past my headache.

"Some sort of stunt man?" Riku asked, I thought for a moment, it sounded vaguely familiar, but it didn't quite fit.

"Something like a..."

"Circus?" Sora asked.

"Exactly," I was excited now, "a circus! With a big black and white tent!"

"What does a circus want with you though?" Riku asked.

"That's where I start drawing a blank," I said, "thinking too hard hurts." Riku opened his mouth to say something, but Sora shot him a look and he shut it again.

"Well, those are pretty good leads," Sora stretched in his seat, he had dark circles under his eyes, he hadn't slept well. "It's not like we have an over abundance of circuses around here."

"Do we even have one?" Riku asked.

"There's one good way to find out," Sora said.

XxX

After lunch, the three of us went to the theater center down town. Riku and Sora talked to the woman in the ticket booth while I looked at the advertisements pinned to the cork boards in the lobby. They were printed on thick, glossy paper and colored in bright greens, blues, and reds: An image of a man and a woman dancing ballet, a man in a cape and a mask, the jeweled elephant was still pinned to the corner of the board, looking crowded and lonely, I reached up and took it down, it felt smooth and cool in my hands. I turned it over and looked at the words on the poster.

**"The Silver Jamboree," ** it read in big bubble letters up at the top, "Featuring..." A word I didn't understand that started with the letters TRAP, "artists, and our fantastic dancing animals, as well as our world famous..." another word I didn't understand, "...exhibit!" This was followed by a list of dates and times for different shows and performances, they weren't recent, the last time The Silver Jamboree had been on the island had been 4 years prior, according to the advert.

"Whatcha got there, Kairi," said Sora, coming up behind me and making me jump.

"It's an old advertisement," I handed it to him, "The Silver Jamboree." I folded my hands in my lap to hide the fact that they were shaking.

"Oh cool!" He smiled as he scanned the paper, "they have a mermaid exhibit."

"They _had_ one, the advertisement is 4 years old."

"Why is it still pinned up then?" Riku asked, appearing silently behind them as he tended to do.

"I'm not sure," I shrugged my shoulders, "but it caught my interest, for some reason."

"It _is_ a circus," said Riku, "The Silver Jamboree, Sora and I went to see it when we were kids, remember Sora?" Sora frowned, tilting his head to one side and crossing his arms.

"I think I do, sort of," he said, "it must not have been that interesting though because I don't remember any of the shows or exhibits," he shrugged his shoulders.

"How about you, Riku?" I asked.

"I remember the Mermaid Exhibit, and I remember the Lion tamer, both of them really scared me when I was a kid."

"Mermaids are cute, not scary," said Sora.

" It looked dead eyed I guess," Riku shrugged, "like one of those sick whales at the aquarium," I felt a chill run up my spine.

"How horrible,"

"And the Lion tamer was pretty messed up too, I swear that Lion was terrified of him, it shook like a leaf the whole time."

"Yikes," said Sora, "In that case it's a good thing I don't remember. You don't think these are the people after Kairi, do you?"

"Don't ask me," Riku shrugged

"I don't know, my head really..." My ears were beginning to ring and I shook my head, "my head really hurts."

"You don't look so good," said Riku. Sora pressed the back of his hand to my forehead and grimaced,

"jeez Kairi, you're cold as ice!"

"I am?" I asked, "I feel pretty hot actually," I wiped my face, my cheeks were damp with sweat. without any warning, Sora scooped me up into his arms. "Woah!" I cried, " hey, let me down, I can walk just fine!" I kicked my legs but he held me tight, grinning, eyes aglow with mischief.

"It's good to see you still have some energy left, Kairi," he said, "but I'm not putting you down until we get you back home."

"I'm fine Sora, honestly, sometimes you're worse than Aqua," I huffed.

"I'm okay with that," he chuckled, I gave up and rested my head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. My temples were throbbing, and dark spots danced before my eyes, I wrapped my arms around his neck. He smelled like soap and sandalwood, I liked this, being held in his arms, it was something I could definitely get used to.


	10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Terra was at the apartment setting up the security system when me and Sora got back. Aqua stood by, arms crossed, eying his handy work.

"You know, I could probably do that better..." She said as he dropped the control panel on the floor, he gave her a doleful look, but said nothing as she retrieved it and quickly screwed it into the wall like she had done it a thousand times before.

"Why didn't you just do it yourself to begin with?"

"What's the point if there's no one here to appreciate my efforts?" She shot back with an amused little smile.

"Kairi is sick," Sora announced once there was a break in their banter, he had let me walk towards the end, but I wasn't doing well, I was very short of breath, my head felt like it was about to explode. Aqua put her hand on my head, it felt cool against my burning skin.

"You should lie down," she said, "I'll make some tea," she shot Sora a look and he followed her into the kitchen.

"You're as white as a sheet," said Terra, leaning against the wall and watching me with a dry expression.

"What kind of sheet?" I asked, he gave me a perplexed look.

"Terra?" Aqua called from the kitchen, "could you come help me with this?"

"Do you actually need my help, or am I just coming to bear witness to your greatness?" He grumbled as he headed into the kitchen. I flopped back on the couch, fighting the urge to strip down, I was boiling hot and my chest and throat felt ragged. I was miserable, I'd never felt like this before. I rolled over into my side and closed my eyes, hoping that it might help the buzzing in my head a little. I heard the kitchen door swing open and I heard footsteps approaching the couch.

"Kairi?" Sora whispered, "are you asleep?" I opened one blurry eye and he smiled at me. "I'm gonna go help Cid clean up the shop," he said, "I'll come back with medicine for you, okay?" I nodded my head and closed my eyes again, but they flew back open when I felt Sora press his lips briefly against my forehead. "Get some rest, and try to feel better, okay?"

"Um, yeah..." This wasn't helping my fever at all, "thank you, I'll try."

XxX

I pressed my burning face into my pillows, feeling dizzy, and nauseous and sore all over. Aqua had given me some Advil before she had gone to work, but it had worn off a while ago. I kept drifting in and out of dreams and nightmares, my head felt like it was filling up with water.

There was a knock at the door. I sat up, stifling a groan, the last thing in the world I wanted was to get up, but I forced myself to my feet and headed towards the door.

"Kairi!" A familiar voice called, "I know you're in there, hurry up!" I hesitated for a moment with my hand on the knob, in my state it might be better to be more cautious. "Kairi, please, my hands are full." Without any further hesitation I flung the door open.

Lea stood there with a big brown paper bag in his arms. "Lemme in, this is heavy," he pushed past me and set the grocery bag on the counter. "Sora told me to come, he's gonna be a bit late, but figured he wouldn't make you wait any longer for your medicine." He turned and looked me over, "you look like you were hit by a train."

"Why thank you Lea, you're as polite as always," I grumbled, staggering back to the couch.

"you still look better than I expected," he shrugged, "here," he tossed me a small white bottle and I caught it, barely, "cold medicine," he said by way of explanation. "I also bought you orange juice, cough drops, and that weird powdered soup stuff you drink out of a mug."

"Gross,"

"Yep," he put the box of soup in the pantry and brought me a glass of orange juice, "take your medicine." I did as I was told, too tired to put up a fight, I swallowed two pills while Lea watched, and he put the bottle on the coffee table next to me. "Don't take any more for 6 hours, understand?" He looked at the watch on his wrist, "at 12:00 you can take another one." He looked at me like he was waiting for me to respond, I nodded and flopped onto the couch.

"Sleep well princess," he said, but his voice sounded dreamy and far away, "I'll see you soon."

XxX

I woke up to the shrill scream of an alarm, so loud and sudden that it startled me off the couch and I fell, painfully onto the hardwood floor.

"Ow..." I muttered to myself as I got to my feet, my knees felt like jelly and I nearly stumbled again before I got back up. It was the alarm that Aqua had just installed, blaring so loud I felt like my head would pop. The door wasn't open, I hadn't heard it open. "Aqua screwed it in too quick and now it's having issues." I reached the alarm, it was blinking red and shrieking bloody murder. "Ugh!" I covered my ears, angry at this point, "how do I turn the blasted thing off!" I fidgeted with the alarm, pressing every button I could, when I felt an arm snake around my waist and pull me against a hard, burly chest. I tried to scream but a hand clamped over my face and an awful chemical taste filled my mouth and stung my nose.

I fought the hand off of my mouth and coughed, trying to suck in enough breath to scream, but I was feeling woozy. My vision was blurring and my head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. I just managed to get out the words:

"Who are...?" Before everything went dark.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Aqua POV

It was a hot, muggy night on the islands, the cluster of dark clouds cresting the horizon told her that there was a storm coming, if not tonight then tomorrow, and it looked like it was going to be a big one. The static in the air made her short blue hair fluff up in the back like a duck tail, and her efforts to smooth it back only made things worse. She gave up and set off towards home, making a checklist in her head. She planned to stop by the corner store on the way home to pick up a coloring book or something to keep Kairi entertained while she was housebound. She was just rounding the corner when her cellphone began to ring, she answered it, expected Terra or maybe Sora calling to check up on Kairi, instead she got emergency services.

"What's going on?" She demanded after the operator confirmed her address and current location.

"Your security system has been going off, are you alright ma'am?"

Aqua's heart plummeted into her stomach, "Oh no, Kairi..." she whispered to herself.

"Ma'am?" The operator sounded concerned.

"No, it's an emergency," she said, "I need to go." She hung up the phone and ran, her boots pounding on the sidewalk. Overhead the rain began to pour.

XxX

"Damn it!" Aqua swore, her fists were clenched so hard at her sides that her nails were biting into her skin. The alarm was still screaming, and the apartment door was wide open, down stairs, a few neighbors were mulling about, looking annoyed, 'where were you people when Kairi was taken?' Aqua thought. She didn't bother to check the apartment, she knew Kairi wouldn't be there and doing so would only waste valuable time. She called Sora, it wasn't likely that he'd know anything, but he would help. He picked up on the fourth ring,

"Aqua?" He sounded surprised, "what's up?"

"Is Kairi there?"

"What? No she's not here, isn't she at home?"

"No, the alarm has been going off for a while now," said Aqua, on the other end of the line Sora went entirely silent, she couldn't even hear him breathe.

"Where are you?" He asked finally, his voice was hard and brittle.

"I'm on the way to Midnight Blue, do you know where she could be?"

"No, but I think I might know someone who does, can you do me a favor?"

"Is now really the time?"

"Please call Riku for me, we need to cover as much ground as possible, and 3 is better than 2."

"Got it,"

Sora hung up before she was done speaking.

XxX

Sora POV

Sora rushed out of the shop, not even bothering to take off his apron, or tell Cid where he was going. He headed next door first, he had a feeling, a bad feeling, that Lea knew something, he had becoming increasingly paranoid lately Lea wasn't at work, and he wasn't picking up the phone either. 'Well then' Sora thought, annoyed 'I guess I'm looking for two people now'. His heart was racing, he refused to focus on anything but the search, the minute he let himself think he knew his anxiety would set in.

By the time he got to Lea's complex on the other side of the island, he was breathing so heavily he was getting light headed. The light was on in his apartment window, Sora knocked on the door. There was silence for a long time, but Sora knew he was there, and he wasn't leaving until he opened up. At last, the door opened and Lea stepped out, looking tired and disheveled with dark, bruise like circles under his eyes.

"She was taken," he said, it wasn't a question.

"Where is she?"

"She's gone, she's not on the islands."

Sora lost it, he grabbed Lea by the collar of his shirt and slammed him hard against the wall.

"Quit playing games, where is she?"

"She's at sea," He didn't bother pushing Sora off of him, he looked miserable.

"At sea?" He released Lea and the man slumped to the ground, putting his head in his hands.

"Yeah, they have a boat, The Silver Jamboree, I'm sure you've seen the poster, I put it there after all."

"Why? Why is a circus after her, of all things?" Sora asked. Lea stayed silent for a long time, Sora was about to ask him again when he finally spoke.

"You know she isn't human, right?"

"Stop playing games," Sora's voice was deadly serious, "this is your last warning."

"I'm not joking, you know I'm not."

"I don't know what your talking about, always

I know is that you're wasting my time!"

"You've known for a while, or at least you've suspected," Lea said with a bitter smile. Sora felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

"Tell me," he said, "tell me everything."


End file.
